Within the goods-producing sector, construction employment rose by 26,000 in March, following a gain of similar magnitude in February. Employment rose in mining for the fifth consecutive month. This industry has added 22,000 jobs since October 2004, mainly in support services for oil and gas operations.

In the service-providing sector, health care added 16,000 jobs in March, with hospitals accounting for half of the growth. Wholesale trade employment was up by 15,000 over the month, with gains in both its durable and nondurable components.

These employment data come from the BLS Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation: March 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-523. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary.